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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Almost DNF, moved to audio version. Alan is a fascinating man, I simply did not like the style of diary entries.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
This is a bit of a challenging read. For being comprised of AR's personal journals, it can often feel very impersonal. Many entries are simply tallies of what was done that day, who was seen, chores accomplished, etc. In some cases, I learned more from the footnotes than I did from AR's actual writings. (For example, he never mentions his cancer diagnosis. The timing of said diagnosis is only revealed in the footnotes.)
AR is also not an especially loquacious writer, especially at the beginning. The majority of entries are only two or three sentences long, which creates a staccato effect in reading — very much the feeling of stop-and-go traffic. As he went further along, entries did tend to increase in length.
Even so, there are some moments of really beautiful writing. What comes to mind, especially, for me is his words at the passing of his mother and, later, Natasha Richardson.
If you are a hardcore Harry Potter fan only interested in learning his thoughts about playing Snape or reading inside stories on the Golden Trio actors, don't waste your time reading. I would say that less than two percent of this book concerns HP. He speaks kindly of JKR, which leads me to wonder how AR would react to her transphobic rhetoric and behavior. My gut says he would be one of the few older actors speaking out against her opinions.
AR is also not an especially loquacious writer, especially at the beginning. The majority of entries are only two or three sentences long, which creates a staccato effect in reading — very much the feeling of stop-and-go traffic. As he went further along, entries did tend to increase in length.
Even so, there are some moments of really beautiful writing. What comes to mind, especially, for me is his words at the passing of his mother and, later, Natasha Richardson.
If you are a hardcore Harry Potter fan only interested in learning his thoughts about playing Snape or reading inside stories on the Golden Trio actors, don't waste your time reading. I would say that less than two percent of this book concerns HP. He speaks kindly of JKR, which leads me to wonder how AR would react to her transphobic rhetoric and behavior. My gut says he would be one of the few older actors speaking out against her opinions.
Rickman's diary entries are short and to the point, often quite harsh. Getting to read about his life in his own words is a real treat. Personally, I didn't find the majority of the entries that intriguing. However, he did have several entries that gave you insight as to what he thought of the people he worked with.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
A thoughtful look at the life of the man who brought us characters in Love Actually, Harry Potter, Die Hard, and more.
I loved learning about his directorial work, how often he traveled, and his personal life. Rickman had a rich life filled with lots of loved ones, and that was evident in the way he wrote about them.
A nice surprise at the end was a recording of Rickman giving an interview about one of his projects. A lovely way to end the book.
I loved learning about his directorial work, how often he traveled, and his personal life. Rickman had a rich life filled with lots of loved ones, and that was evident in the way he wrote about them.
A nice surprise at the end was a recording of Rickman giving an interview about one of his projects. A lovely way to end the book.
The 3 stars are entirely a reflection of my own response to these diaries rather than to the project or of course to Alan Rickman himself, of whom I have a huge respect. Honestly, if you read the excerpts published in The Guardian or somewhere you've probably read the most interesting bits of this. There's a LOT of "flew to New York" "had lunch with M" "had dinner with B and P" and so forth. Also he does come across as just as irascible as you might expect given his screen persona generally. I was very interested in how much he hated the filming of Sense and Sensibility, given Emma Thompson's own diary version which gives the impression of "wot larks!!", though he was at least pleased with the finished film. Lots of name-dropping, but mostly British stage and character actors. One disappointing thing: there are a few pages printed of his actual hand written diaries, which he decorated with sketches and paintings, and I would have loved to see more. These diary entries don't really afford an opportunity to know someone who was obviously interesting and intelligent and seems to have inspired devotion among his friends.
It’s really hard to write this review. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. As mentioned in several other reviews, the beginning clearly states that they’re not sure if he even wanted this published. Some entries felt more like an appointment book while others were what you might expect of a diary. There were some funny things - like only 300 or so results for “Alan Rickman” on the internet in the mid 90s. I also found myself chuckling when he described going to bars and describing the dancers. I was surprised that some movies/projects weren’t mentioned or just had a sentence or two. He had the most lengthy descriptions of some plays he was involved in.
I feel weird to say “I wish it included…” because it’s someone’s diary. But I had hoped for some insight or his thoughts on why he chose some projects, what he experienced while filming, etc. There was a bit of that but also some glimpses into him being a “normal guy,” like cleaning clutter to prepare for moves, fixing stuff in his yard, and wondering if they’ll ever use more than the same 12 recipes over and over again.
Of course I wish we could have had him reading them. Not gonna lie, I did think “This is something I could support AI on.”
I feel weird to say “I wish it included…” because it’s someone’s diary. But I had hoped for some insight or his thoughts on why he chose some projects, what he experienced while filming, etc. There was a bit of that but also some glimpses into him being a “normal guy,” like cleaning clutter to prepare for moves, fixing stuff in his yard, and wondering if they’ll ever use more than the same 12 recipes over and over again.
Of course I wish we could have had him reading them. Not gonna lie, I did think “This is something I could support AI on.”